Valved can closure



`une 22, 1943. H. lNGRAM vALvED CAN cLosURE Filed Nov. 7, 1959 2Sheets-Sheet l lNvaN'roR am p 947m M f Dm /ws ATTORNEYS June 22, 1943.H. INGRAM 2,322,236

vALvED CAN cLosURE l Filed Nov.. '7, 1959 2 Sheets-sheet 2 INVENTORMQ/"DML, Q/m M f Ifw: ATTQRNEYS ,Patented June 22, 1943 UNITED STATE-SPATENTl GFFICE VALVED CAN CLOSUBE Harry Ingram, Wheeling, W. Va.Application Novemberl 7, 1939, Serial No.- 303,174 v d Claims.

This invention relates to valved container closures and moreparticularly concerns an improved closure having an opening thereincontrolled by an improved form of mechanically operated check valve forpermitting controlled egress and ingress of air and other gases andfluids.

It is. frequently desirable to remove air or other gases or fluids froma can or other container .l

after the cover or closure has been applied thereto. This procedure isparticularly advantageous `in the canning or preserving of foods,beverages and other perishable products where the flavor, color,consistency and keeping qualities of the g product may be enhanced byremoval of air or oxygen from the container.

It has heretofore been proposed to employ container closures providedwith a vent hole or opening controlled by a check valve which isautomatically opened by excess fluid pressure within the can orcontainer, thus permitting venting or withdrawal of fluid, the valveclosing automatically when the diierence between the external andinternal pressures drops below a predetermined value. One example ofa'valved closure of this type is disclosed in my Patent No. 1,576,763'l4Such valved closures permit the cans to be subjected to' a vacuum afterthe closure is applied, whereby air can be withdrawn fromy the headspace.

In certain canning operations, after vacuum removal of air .from the"head space, the closed cans are subjected to a cooking operation,usually in a pressure retort. With certain food products, this cookingheats the can contents to such a high temperature that considerablefluidv expansion occurs. When cans having automaticv check valveclosures of the type described above are subjected to such an operation,fluid expansion sometimes forces the check valvel open and some spillingand wastage. of the canned product may result. Also, when the cans arecooled after such loss of contents,'the contraction of the productleaves an undesirably. large head space which gives the ultimateconsumer the mistaken impression that the can was not completely filledby the manufacturer.

It is the object of (the vide a closure for cans and other containershaving a ventcont'rolling valvemechanism capable l of withstandingwithout leakage the highest internal pressure imposed in canning,cooking and sterilizing operations, and 4at the same time, being readilyoperable by simple mechanical means to permit the withdrawal of air orother gases and the introduction of inert gas or other fluid priorpresent .invention to pro- I used for food products and beverages.

, as the description progresses.

to cooking or at any other time during the canning operatlon. Otherobjects of the invention include the provision of a valved closureincorporating an improved valve gasket and seat construction, improvedstrainingmeans for preventing the escape of solid or semi-solid matterduring withdrawal of air and gases, and other advantageous and novelfeatures which will be apparent 4fled form;

` Figure 5 is a sectional view similar to Figure l of a modified form ofclosure embodying the invention; and A v Figure 6 is a sectional view ofa can provided with a closure embodying the invention and a diagrammaticrepresentation of means for utilizing the improved closure valvemechanism in a canning operation.

Referring to the drawings, the embodiment of the invention theredisclosed comprises a closure for an ordinary metallic can of the typegenerally The closure comprises generally a unitary structure containingtwo major parts, acap member C and a generally disk-shaped valveoperating member or diaphragm D ysecured to yand beneath the cap memberasjhereinaftery described.

The cap member C is shown circular although v other forms may be used ifdesired, and is preferably stamped or otherwise formed from a singlepiece of sheet metal such as tin plated steel. The cap member C, as wellas the other parts of the device, can be formed of various othermaterials -such as a molded phenolic condensation product,

Celluloid, etc. The outer edge of the cap member C is provided withaskirted A shape for use in securing the cap to a can, Mason jar Iorother glass or metallic container. In the embodiments shown in Figures1,' 2 and 3, the rim 'l is of a type which may be secured and sealed tothe top edge of a metalliccan by a seaming operation,\I as generallyshown, for example, in Figure 6. s

rim 'l of am] suitableA A central vent opening II is provided in thelplate 9. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a perforate valvegasket or washer I2 surrounds the openinglII and is secured to the plate9 by ysuitable means. As shown, this may be accomplished by providing aneyelet I3 integral with the plate 9 and extending downwardly from theopening II through the central opening of the gasket I2, the lower endof the eyelet being bent outwardly to engage the lower surl face of thegasket I2 adjacent its central opening.

A substantially disk-shaped flexible resilient diaphragm D, which actsas the valve operating member," is disposed beneath and covers the lowersurface of the valve supporting plate 9. 'The diaphragm D is soconstructed as to have a strong upward bias at its central portionwhereby the valve parts that control the flow of uid through the openingII may be firmly interengaged to provide a iiuid-tight seal. The bias ofthe diaphragm D may be produced in various ways. As illustrated .in thedrawings, a circular bead Il is formed within the marginal edge portionI5 of the diaphragm andthe metal of the central portion I6 of thediaphragm is so drawn or otherwise worked or treated that it normallysprings upwardly, as shown in Figure 2, when not confined by the' plate9 within the recess R.

A suitable seat for engaging the gasket I2 is preferably formed at thecenter of the diaphragm tending corrugations I9'in the-marginal edgeportion I5 of the diaphragm D. 'I'his forms restricted passages whichpermit the iiow of fluid while preventing the passage of solid orsemi-solid food products out of the container or into the space betweenthe valve parts. As shown in Figures l and l5, a clearance is providedbetween the edge of the diaphragms D and D' and the recessed walls 8 and8', so that air and other gases can flow between these parts. In placeof the corrugations I9 at the diaphragm edge, similar radialcorrugations I9 may be formed atl the edge portion of the plate 9' wherethe marginal edge portion I5' of the diaphragm D is in contacttherewith. This arrangement is shown in Figures 4 and 5, wherein theclosure construction is otherwise similar to that of Figures 1, 2 and 3and wherein corresponding parts are designated by like referencecharacters with distinctive exponents.

The improved vented closure of the invention v is useful in performingvarious operations inci- D. In the disclosed embodiments, this seattakes y the form of a circular upstanding ridge I1 disposed in alignmentwith the gasket I2 and of a size to engage the gasket outside of theeyelet I3, as shown in Figure 1. The valve seat ridge I1 is preferablyformed integral with the diaphragm D by a stamping or equivalentoperation.

The degree of resilient upward bias of the diaphragm D is preferablysuch that it cannot be forced inwardly by excess external fiuid pressureacting on the area within the ridge I'l, whereby the valve parts cannotbe opened due to a vac- D also moves upwardly and the valve parts are.

maintained in engagement. A diaphragm which imposes a pressure of 5 to10 pounds on the valve parts has been found to give satisfactoryresults, but the invention is not limited to any/` particular value ofresilient upward bias.

'I'he diaphragm D may be secured within the. recess R by various means.As shown in Figures land 3, the marginal edge portion I5 of thediaphragm is held in surface contact with the underside of the plate 9by deforming the metal wall 8 inwardly to form aplurality of lugs I8 atpoints spaced around the wall, these lugs overlying the edge of thediaphragm. As an alternative to this means of attachment, the wall 8mayl be continuously deformed inwardly beneath the dent to the canningof foods, beverages and other products. As illustrative of a typicaloperation .in which the closure is useful, vthe food or other productmay be deaerated and filled into cans, and the closures embodying theinvention may then be secured thereto. Thereafter, a relatively high.vacuum is imposed on the can contents to suddenly boil the liquidtherein whereby water vapor is generated in the'can and withdrawn, andair and oxygen are swept out of the head space. This operation may beaccomplished by mechanically opening the valve mechanism in the closure,the vent opening II givingaccess to the diaphragm D whereby thediaphragm may be pushed downwardly by mechanical force to disengage thevalve parts.

. Suitable apparatus for mechanically operating the valvel duringevacuation or introduction of gas has be'en illustrated in Figure 6which shows a closure engaging head 20 having a' rubber or other sealingpad or gasket 2| on its lower surface. A central opening 22 is providedin the head 20 and a closed upstandingJ tube 23 is securechto the head2|) at this .opening as shown. Valve controlled ducts 24 and 25v forwithdrawing fluid from and admitting fluid to the can communicate withthe tube 23. A pin or plunger 26 is disposed in the tube 23 andextendstfroin the upper end thereof through a packedgland 21. Anoperating knob 28 is secured to the upper end of the pin 26 as-shown.

In operation, the head 20 is lowered'over a can 29 and the pad 2|` isfirmly pressed against the can closure around the vent opening II asshown in Figure 6, thus placing the opening in fluid tight communicationwith the tube 23. The valve in the duct 24 is then opened, and the spacewithin the tube 23, as well as that beneath the head 20, is evacuated bya suitable pump or other evacuating device,` as shown, connected to theduct, 24. The pin 26 .is then depressed so that closure to atmosphere,after which the head 20 may be removed.. If desired, an inert gas suchas carbon dioxide, nitrogen or hydrogen may be'introduced to the canthrough the duct 25 after vacuumization while the valve mechanism isheld open by the pin 26 as explained.

The above described operation may be followed by cooking orsterilization of the product. -In this operation, a number of the closedcans are customarily placed in a retort and subjected to heat and steampressure such as to produce a temperature which may be in theneighborhood of 240 to 250 F. Such temperatures cause appreciableexpansion of the liquid can contents and also generate some steam withinthe can with the result that the can ends, including the closure of theinvention, are distended. Such bulging of the improved closure does nothcwever, cause the valve mechanism to open, because the resilient upwardbias of the diaphragm D, aided by the excess 'internal pressure, causeslthe valve seat I1 en the diaphragm to follow any upward movement of thecap plate 9, and so maintain the valve parts in sealing engagement.

When the can andits contents cool following the cooking operation, thesteam condenses within the can and a vacuum may be produced in the headspace. The magnitude of the resilient upward bias on the diaphragm Dprevents downward movement of this diaphragm by the excess externalpressure, and the can remains sealed.

It will be apparent that my improved closure permits vacuum withdrawalof air and other gases from the cans, and at the same time, pre- A.

vents loss of the can contents during a subsequent cooking orsterilization operation, with the result that the can reaches `thecustomer with as present when the can little head space as was waslled.

I claim:

1. A valved closure for sealing cans and like containers comprising acap member including a substantially rigid plate portion having acentral opening therethrough, a flexible resilient upwardly biaseddiaphragm secured adjacent its edge to said cap'beneath and coveringsaid plate portion, valvemeans disposed between said diaphragm and saidplate portion for normally sealing said opening, said diaphragm having asunlcient upward bias to prevent opening of said valve means by excessexternal atmospheric pressure and said opening giving access to saiddia- 2. A valved container closure comprising a cap member including asubstantially rigid circular valve supporting plate having a centralopening therethrough, a substantially disk-shaped flexible resilientdiaphragm disposed beneath said plate with its marginal edge portionsecured in contact with said plate, interengaging valve means betweensaid plate and said diaphragm surrounding said opening for preventingfluid ow through said opening when said diaphragm moves toward saidplate, said diaphragm having an upward bias of suflicient magnitude toprevent opening of said valve means by excess external atmosphericpressure, and means forming passages for the flow of fluid between themarginal edge portions of said diaphragm and said plate, said openinggiving access to said diaphragm whereby said diaphragm may be moveddownwardly by mechanical force to disengage said valve means and permitthe flow of fluid through said opening.

\ 3. A valved container ,closure comprising a cap member including asubstantially rigid circular valve supporting plate having a centralopening therethrough, a substantially disk-shaped flexible resilientdiaphragm disposed beneath said plate with its marginal edgeportionsecured in contact with said plate, a valve gasket secured to theundersurface of said plate'and surrounding said opening, a circularvalve seat on said diaphragm aligned with said gasket and engageableltherewith upon upward movement of said diaphragm to prevent fluid flowthrough said opening, said diaphragm having an upward bias of suilcientmagnitude to prevent opening of said valve by excess externalatmospheric" pressure y. and means forming passages forthe flow of fluidphragm whereby said diaphragm may be moved i downwardly by mechanicalforce to permit the flow of fluid through said opening.

between the marginal edge portions of said diaphragm and said plate,.said opening giving access to-said diaphragm whereby said diaphragm maybe moved downwardly by a mechanical force to disengage saidvalve seatfrom said gasket and' permit the flow of fluid through said opening.

4. In a vented container closure, in combination, a cap member includingan upwardly ex- .tending circular recess comprising an upwardlyextending circular wall and a circular substantially rigid Valvesupporting plate with a central opening therethrough, a substantiallycircular resiliently upwardly biased disk within said recess havingmarginal edge portions in surface engagement with the inner surface ofsaid valve supporting. plate adjacent its edge, said upwardly extendingwal1 of said recess `being deformed inwardly -at at least some points tounderlie the edges of said disk whereby .said disk is secured withinsaid recess, a plurality of radial corrugations in the marginal edgeportion of said disk providing restricted passages between said disk.and said valve supporting plate, and means disposed between said diskand said plate and oper:4-

able by relative movement of said disk and said plate for controllingthe flow of fluid through said opening.

HARRY INGRAM.

